‘India seeing death of democracy’: Rahul Gandhi as Congress protests inflation

Congress is holding pan-India “Halla Bol” protests on inflation.

India is witnessing the death of democracy, Rahul Gandhi said on Friday, charging at the central government yet again as the Congress holds pan-India protests on inflation. Ahead of the Congress's "Halla Bol" protests on price rise, Delhi was tightly barricaded amid huge police presence with large gatherings banned.

Rahul Gandhi holds presser in Delhi

“We are not allowed to speak in Parliament, we are arrested on the road, this is the condition of India today,” Gandhi told at a press briefing, in apparent reference to his detention last week. The Wayanad MP was detained - along with other senior Congress leaders - when he took part last week in the march against questioning of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi by the Enforcement Directorate in the National Herald case.

“The government just wants to serve the interest of four or five people," Rahul Gandhi said on Friday, suggesting favouritism for top businessman - a remark he has repeated often in attack on the government.

“In a democracy, the opposition fights on the strength of institutions. The country has a legal structure, there is an electoral structure, which is the media of the country. On its strength the opposition rises, but in all these institutions the government has put its people,” he said, lashing out.

Sharpening his attack, he said: "At present, the entire financial infrastructure is with them, if anyone wants to support the other party, then ED, CBI is imposed against him. The BJP-Sangh is a financial monopoly."

"Not every institution in India is free, fair today. Today every institution of India is under the control of RSS. We are not fighting just one political party, we are fighting against the entire infrastructure of India," Rahul Gandhi said, further raising questions on freedom of the Indian media'.

Shortly after, the BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “Does the Congress have democracy?" Probe agencies like ED are being threatened by the party as they try to probe cases."